Creation scientist John Woodmorappe believes that 8,000 species of animals were included on Noah’s ark. Was, by any chance, the dinosaur one of these?
"How could so many animals be aboard Noah’s ark?" That is the sceptical question of a lot of people.
But do you know how big the ark was and the number of animals present on it? In Genesis 6:20 the Bible says: "Of fowls after their kind, and of cattle after their kind, of every creeping thing of the earth after his kind, two of every sort shall come unto thee, to keep them alive."
There was no need for Noah to bring along animals of the sea or insects. Creation scientist John Woodmorappe has calculated that this earth harbours in total 8,000 species of animals (including some extinct species). Multiplied by two this meant that there would have been room enough for more than 16,000 animals aboard.
When you consider that horses, zebras and donkeys surely are descended from the line of horses, it was not necessary for Noah to include a pair each of these animals. Also dogs and wolves surely are descended from one family only, so they did not need to take along hundreds of different dogs.
"But how could there be room for 16,000 animals on the ark, and especially the huge dinosaur?"
Although there may be 668 names for dinosaurs, perhaps there actually only were 55 different types of dinosaurs. Moreover, not all dinosaurs were huge like the brachiosaurus, and the dinosaurs present on the ark most likely would have been "teens", and thus a lot smaller.
According to Genesis 6:15, the size of the ark was 300 x 50 x 30 cubits. That is to say, circa 460 x 75 x 44 feet, or with a volume of 1.54 million cubic feet (42.946 m3). (See Note.)
Scientists have calculated that this corresponds to the volume of 522 railroad cars, each containing 240 sheep. As a matter of fact, merely 11 % of all land-living animals are larger than sheep. Without going too deeply into the mathematics thereof (see the book, "Noah’s Ark: A Feasibility Study"), the some 16,000 animals would have taken up a lot less than half the space inside the ark (even allowing for a limited space, in which to move about).
Conclusion
The Bible is trustworthy in every aspect, including the explanation of the ark (and
the universal Flood disaster). A Christian does not have to blindly believe
that there indeed was an ark. You see, the biblical facts about the ark can be
validated and tested today. As it is written, "But sanctify the Lord God
in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with
meekness and fear" (First Peter 3:15). This is especially important in our
day, when so many people make fun of the Bible when comparing it to "science"
falsely so called.
The author of the article uses Babylonian cubits. Supposing Moses used Egyptian
cubits, the ark would have been greater still, namely: 48,080 m3